23-25 November 2023

Panteion University (Athens, Greece)

 

The Turkish Republic was the last nation-state with Balkan territories to emerge out of the ashes of the collapsing Ottoman Empire, as a result of long-term painful processes (internal conflicts, military occupations, forced migration, resistance and War of Independence) and on the basis of almost total rejection of the Ottoman past. The birth of the new state had significant consequences not only for the new

Turkish citizens and the Turkish and Muslim minority populations in the Balkans, but also for all Balkan peoples and, more generally, for the geopolitical balance of power in the region. The other Balkan states -- defeated Bulgaria, newborn Albania and the territorially enlarged and transformed states like Greece, Romania and Yugoslavia, as well as colonial Cyprus -- experienced an equally difficult period of transition and adaptation to the interwar world, following comparable or diverse management strategies of containing socio-economic challenges and political crises. Concerning the relations between Turkey and the other post-Ottoman countries, national historiographies have traditionally focused on bilateral diplomatic relations during the interwar period or issues concerning the Muslim minorities in the

Balkans, the demographic “legacy as continuity” of the Ottoman era. There is room for fresh and innovative approaches to research on these issues. Yet, the conference aims to shift attention to the intellectual, cultural, social, and economic processes involving varying kinds of collective and individual actors and their reception of the emergence of the Turkish Republic in the various Balkan societies, and more specifically:

 

The conference will take place on-site, at Panteion University, Athens. We welcome submissions from senior and junior scholars and academics, as well as doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers. Presentations will be in English and should not exceed 20 minutes.

 

Submissions must include: a. Title and abstract (not more than 300 words) and b. Short Bio including full name, current affiliation and contact details.

 

Proposals should be submitted by e-mail to newoldneighborconference@gmail.com by April 30th, 2023. You will be notified about the acceptance of your proposal by May 31st 2023.